Multimeters are used for measuring a variety of parameters associated with electrical circuitry, such as currents, voltages, resistance and capacitance. A multimeter can be a handheld device useful for basic fault finding and field service work or a sophisticated bench instrument that can measure with a very high degree of accuracy. The instrument may be implemented with an analog meter deflected by an electromagnet or with a digital display such as an LCD (liquid crystal display) screen.
Portable digital multimeters (DMMs) commonly include a rotary switch configured such that each rotated position of the rotary switch indicates a different measuring function. For example, a rotary switch on a conventional DMM may be configured such that a first position corresponds to a voltage measurement, a second position corresponds to a current measurement, and a third position corresponds to a resistance measurement. In this manner, a single instrument can act as a voltmeter, an ammeter, or an ohmmeter by simply rotating a switch.
Accordingly, DMMs incorporate various tools for performing different types of measurements and different capabilities for displaying measurement values in a digital format on a screen. Further capabilities and improvements are needed to enable users to receive measurement information remotely.
The present invention recognizes and addresses the foregoing considerations, and others, of prior art constructions and methods.